Filmmaker Spike Lee to Visit UT Knoxville on Sept. 14

KNOXVILLE — American film director, producer, writer and actor Shelton Jackson, aka Spike Lee, will visit the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus next week as part of the university’s Legends Lecture Series.

Each year, UT’s Black Cultural Programming Committee selects an individual who has made significant contributions to society to speak as the Legends Lecturer. Lee will give his lecture, “America Through My Lens,” at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 14, in the Cox Auditorium of the Alumni Memorial Building. The event is free and open to the public, and parking will be available in Staff Lot 9, along Phillip Fulmer Way. Following the lecture, a brief question-and-answer session will be moderated by WATE TV’s Tearsa Smith.

Lee’s production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. His movies are known for examining race relations, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty and other political issues. Some of his popular works include “Inside Man,” “He Got Game,” “Michael Jackson: History on Film,” “Malcolm X,” “She Hate Me,” “Love and Basketball” and “The Original Kings of Comedy.”

Lee’s 2006 documentary “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts,” about the devastation in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, won a 2007 Emmy for exceptional merit in nonfiction filmmaking. Two of his films, “4 Little Girls” (1997) and “Do the Right Thing” (1989) were nominated for Academy Awards.

The event is sponsored by the Black Cultural Programming Committee with support from the Charlie Lemmons Endowment, which provides for programs that engage UT students in becoming aware of their heritage and inspire their future.

*Editor’s note: Media are welcome to attend the lecture, though Lee will not have time to speak directly with media, and recording of the event is prohibited.